Interment Service

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, praise His holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits
He pardons all your iniquities,
He heals all your diseases;
He redeems your life from the pit,
He crowns you with steadfast love & compassion;
He satisfies your years with good things,
your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The LORD performs righteous deeds
and judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep his anger forever
He has not dealt with us according to our sins
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
For he knows of what we are made;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is
from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear Him,
And his righteousness to children’s children,
To those who keep His covenant
And remember to do his precepts.

Our loving Heavenly Father,

We know that you are the creator and sustainer of all life. We praise you for Cameron’s life, for the joy and anticipation we had as we looked forward to his birth last year.

We know that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”. We acknowledge that over this past year we have struggled with your divine purpose in taking Cameron to be with you. We have wept and doubted. At times we have wondered if You have heard our cries. But that is a reflection of our human nature and frailty.

Today, Lord, we acknowledge that you have carried us gently as we have learnt to grieve over Cameron’s death.

Now we praise you for the many blessings we have seen over this past year: for the many acts of kindness and faithfulness shown by your people, for the understanding and empathy shown by those who care so much for Rick and Ronnie, for the lessons we have learnt about your comfort and healing, for the many opportunities we have had to love and care for each other, and especially for Rick and Ronnie.

Through the sadness and tragedy of Cameron’s death we have seen your loving purposes for Rick and Ronnie.

Thank you for giving Ronnie the strength to cope day by day with the sad loss of their firstborn son. Thank you for enabling her to push on day by day, week by week, trusting in your purposes for their lives and family. Thank you for giving her the ability to treasure and encourage Rick in the midst of such sadness, to assure him of her trust and love and to build him up.

Thank you for enabling Rick to have the strength and patience to comfort Ronnie. To be able to make wise decisions for them both and to be able to communicate his thoughts and feelings to her. Thank you for the way we have seen him treasuring and encouraging her, showing his trust in your purposes in this tragic loss.

As we have watched them grieve the loss of Cameron this year dear Lord, we praise you for the evidence we have seen of your presence in their lives. We thank you for the strength you have given them to face such sorrow with perseverance, to be cheerful under suffering, to trust you in the darkness, and to be loving and patience with each other and with us. We thank you that their care and love for each other is stronger than ever, and their trust in you is undiminished.

As we look forward, dear God, we pray that your good purposes for them will continue to unfold as they daily seek your will. May they continue to experience your strength and love in the joys and sorrows of life. May their marriage grow ever stronger as they look to you for guidance and comfort. May the memories of Cameron’s life and death continue to be a source of purpose and strength in their life and ministry. Help us as their family and friends to continue to pray for them and support them faithfully.

Finally, dear God, we pray for Angus’ birth next month. Please keep him and Ronnie safe during these last weeks of pregnancy, and may his birthday be one of great rejoicing.

We praise you and ask for these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is our refuge and strength
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear when the earth gives way
or the mountains collapse into the heart of the sea;
‘tho it’s waters roar and foam,
and the mountains quake with its surging.

A River! It’s streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her; she will not collapse
God will help her at break of day.

Nations roar.
Kingdoms collapse.
God lifts his voice,
the earth melts.
The LORD of armies is with us
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear
and burns chariots with fire.

“STOP. And know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
Exalted in the earth.”

Spring is here again. The air is so fresh, the sun so warm.

Your mum, I, have always loved spring, but I realise now that I can never enjoy it in the same way again. Spring was when you left us…

A year has past now since you died. A year has past now since you left your dad and I.

It is unbelievable.

A year ago today was the last time that I felt you move inside me; a year ago today was when your heart decided to stop beating.

I still wonder why it is that you died. I still don’t understand why God chose to take you away from us. I still wish things could’ve been different.

So many tears have been shed for you, my dear little boy. By me, by your father, by your grandparents, by your extended family and by our friends. You are loved and missed by many.

Even today we continue to cry for you. Especially today we shed tears for you.

I am truly amazed that I have survived an entire year without you. I honestly did not think last year that life could possibly continue.

Your dad has been my amazing comforter and my support these past twelve months. He has held me every time I’ve cried. He has never once faltered in his love and care of me.

Your dad is the most wonderful husband, and the most wonderful father. He loves you and misses you so much. You are his son, his child, his flesh and blood.

Often when I am sad, I look at your dad and say, “Cameron is our son.”

It is such a simple sentence. Four simple, small words. Yet those four words represent the heart of the matter.

It is because you are our son that we love you so much. It is because you are our son that we miss you so much. It is because you are our son that it hurts so much. It is because you are our son that you are always, always on our heart and mind. It is because you are our son that your absence makes our family incomplete.

Not a single day or hour or moment has gone by this last year that I have not thought about you and missed you.

Even when I don’t cry and are able to do ‘normal’ things, I am still always thinking of you and missing you.

Grief truly hurts. I suspect it always will.

I love looking at the photos that we have of you. I think you were such a beautiful boy.

I miss you Cam. I miss feeling your life and energy inside me. I miss the way you woke up every time I laid down to bed. I miss how you always kept me company.

I miss you Cam. I miss your face. You were so handsome. I miss your arms and your legs. They looked so strong. I miss your hands and your feet. They were so perfectly formed. I miss your fingers. They were so little and so soft and so precious in my hand. I miss your cheeks – your gorgeous, cute, chubby cheeks.

I wish I could’ve had more time to hold you and to spend with you.

I wish I got to mother you for longer.

I wish I got to watch you open your eyes.

I wish I got to watch you grow up.

How I love you and miss you and long for you to be here with us.

In about a month’s time, your dad and I hope to welcome your younger brother into our lives.

His name is Angus – we have named him after you.

We love him just as much as we love you, and we are so thankful to God for giving us two children to love and cherish.

We will tell Angus all about you. We will tell him all about his older brother whom he won’t get to meet just yet.

I know that as I watch Angus grow up, I will always wonder whether you would’ve been similar to him. Even at his ultrasound a month ago, your dad and I both thought he looked quite a bit like you.

But Angus is Angus, and you are you.

Angus does not and will never replace you, Cam. You are our precious first child.

Because of your life and death, I hope and pray that I will be a much better mum to your future brothers and sisters than I otherwise would’ve been.

We love you Cameron.

For the rest of our lives, we will remember you, miss you and long for the day when we will finally be able to take you into our arms again.

That will be a glorious day. It will be better than spring. It will be for eternity.